Karl Winsch
Encyclopedia
Karl Edgar Winsch was a pitcher
and manager
in Minor league baseball
. Listed at 5' 10", 180 lb., Winsch batted and threw right-handed.
A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania
, Karl Winsch spent two decades in baseball as a player and manager. A good pitching prospect, Winsch was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies
in the early 1940s, but he never made the Major Leagues
and had to conform with a modest career in the Phillies minor league system. After that, he managed in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
.
Winsch and Faut were divorced after 21 years of marriage. Little is known about him after this point. He died in Quakertown, Pennsylvania
, at the age of 86.
. He combined for a 1-7 record with a 4.24 earned run average
in 48 games for Rome (12) and Trenton (36), allowing 87 hits in 87.0 innings
of work. In 1943 he went 10-9 with a 4.58 ERA in 40 games for the Packers, tying for first in the Interstate League
with 13 batters hit by pitches and for second in pitching appearances. He also allowed 171 hits and 99 walks
while striking out
99 in a career-high 171.0 innings. Winsch was ascended to Class-A in 1944, his last minor league season, and finished with a 4-4 mark and a 4.04 ERA in 24 games with the Utica Blue Sox
.
In a three-year career, Winsch posted a 15-20 record with a 4.36 ERA in 112 games, allowing 216 runs (45 unearned) and 332 hits in 353.0 innings of work.
In 1947 Winsch married Jean Faut
, who at the time was ranked among the premier players in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
. While playing for Utica, he had been managed by Eddie Sawyer
, whose leadership inspired him to an eventual career as a baseball coach
or manager. His opportunity came in 1951, when he became the manager of the South Bend Blue Sox
, his wife's team. Winsch enjoyed a distinguished career in the last four years of the circuit, leading South Bend to consecutive championship titles in 1951 and 1952 and a playoff berth in 1954.
in three games and later defeated the Rockford Peaches
in the final series, three to two games, with Faut taking two of the victories against Racine.
In 1952 South Bend advanced to the playoffs for the second consecutive year, after finishing with the second best record (64-45) behind the Daisies (67-42). The Blue Sox dispossed of Fort Wayne in the first round (2 to 1) and clinched the title over the Peaches (3 to 2). Once more Faut was brilliant in the final series, going 2-1 and hitting a .300 batting average
(6-for-20) with three runs batted in.
Unfortunately for Winsch and his wife, most girls in the league were unmarried, making Faut odd-woman-out on her team. After becoming manager of the Blue Sox, it made the situation even stickier and increased his wife's isolation from the rest of the team. Everything came to a head after winning his second championship title, when he became more demanding of his players. In 1953, some of the South Bend players bristled under his leadership, many refusing to speak to either the manager or their star pitcher. When toward the end of the season, Winsch disciplined one of the girls by suspending her for not going in to pinch-run quickly when asked. Five other players walked out in protest, leaving Winsch's team short-handed for the rest of the year. South Bend would finish the season second from last (45-65). Nevertheless, Faut posted a 17-11 record, tying for first in the AAGPBL in wins and for the third consecutive season led all pitchers with her 1.51 earned run average
, being the only Blue Sox pitcher to have a winning record. She retired at the end of the season.
In 1954 Winsch guided the Blue Sox to a second place (48-44), during what turned out to be the league's final season. South Bend lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual champion Kalamazoo Lassies
, two to one games. He also managed the All-Star Team in that season.
In a four-year managing career, Winsch collected a record of 232 wins and 187 losses (.554 W-L%
) during the regular season and went 11-7 (.611) in the postseason.
Winsch is part of the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York
, opened in , which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual player. The AAGPBL folded in 1954, yet it was not really a well known fact until the 1992 film A League of Their Own
, directed by Penny Marshall
, which brought many of the real AAGPBL players began to earn a rebirth of celebrity with the first season of the circuit.
Pitcher
In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
and manager
Manager (baseball)
In baseball, the field manager is an individual who is responsible for matters of team strategy on the field and team leadership. Managers are typically assisted by between one and six assistant coaches, whose responsibilities are specialized...
in Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
. Listed at 5' 10", 180 lb., Winsch batted and threw right-handed.
A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Allentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently...
, Karl Winsch spent two decades in baseball as a player and manager. A good pitching prospect, Winsch was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
in the early 1940s, but he never made the Major Leagues
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
and had to conform with a modest career in the Phillies minor league system. After that, he managed in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...
.
Winsch and Faut were divorced after 21 years of marriage. Little is known about him after this point. He died in Quakertown, Pennsylvania
Quakertown, Pennsylvania
Quakertown is a borough in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 8,979. The borough is south of Bethlehem and north of Philadelphia, making Quakertown a border town of both the Delaware Valley and Lehigh Valley metropolitan areas...
, at the age of 86.
1940s
Winsch started 1942 with Class-C Rome Colonels and later was promoted to Double-A Trenton PackersTrenton Packers
The Trenton Packers were a minor league baseball team, based in Trenton, New Jersey that played in the Interstate League from 1942-1944. They were affiliated with the Philadelphia Phillies and Brooklyn Dodgers ....
. He combined for a 1-7 record with a 4.24 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
in 48 games for Rome (12) and Trenton (36), allowing 87 hits in 87.0 innings
Innings pitched
In baseball, innings pitched are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher on the pitching mound in a game. Three outs made is equal to one inning pitched. One out counts as one-third of an inning, and two...
of work. In 1943 he went 10-9 with a 4.58 ERA in 40 games for the Packers, tying for first in the Interstate League
Interstate League
The Interstate League was the name of five different American minor baseball leagues that played intermittently from 1896 through 1952. The longest tenured of these was the last incarnation, which played in the Middle Atlantic States from 1939 through 1952, and was one of the few mid-level minor...
with 13 batters hit by pitches and for second in pitching appearances. He also allowed 171 hits and 99 walks
Base on balls
A base on balls is credited to a batter and against a pitcher in baseball statistics when a batter receives four pitches that the umpire calls balls. It is better known as a walk. The base on balls is defined in Section 2.00 of baseball's Official Rules, and further detail is given in 6.08...
while striking out
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....
99 in a career-high 171.0 innings. Winsch was ascended to Class-A in 1944, his last minor league season, and finished with a 4-4 mark and a 4.04 ERA in 24 games with the Utica Blue Sox
Utica Blue Sox
The Utica Blue Sox were a minor league baseball team based in Utica, New York. In their most recent incarnation, the Blue Sox played in the Short-Season A classification New York - Penn League from 1977-2001, with their home games at Donovan Stadium at Murnane Field...
.
In a three-year career, Winsch posted a 15-20 record with a 4.36 ERA in 112 games, allowing 216 runs (45 unearned) and 332 hits in 353.0 innings of work.
In 1947 Winsch married Jean Faut
Jean Faut
Jean Anna Faut [Winsch/Eastman] is a former female starting pitcher who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 4", 137 lb., she batted and threw right handed....
, who at the time was ranked among the premier players in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. During the league's history, over 600 women played ball.-History:...
. While playing for Utica, he had been managed by Eddie Sawyer
Eddie Sawyer
Edwin Milby Sawyer was an American manager and scout in Major League Baseball. As a manager, he led the 1950 Philadelphia Phillies — the "Whiz Kids", as the youthful club was known — to the second National League championship in team history.-A scholar-athlete:Born in Westerly, Rhode Island,...
, whose leadership inspired him to an eventual career as a baseball coach
Coach (baseball)
In baseball, a number of coaches assist in the smooth functioning of a team. They are assistants to the manager, or head coach, who determines the lineup and decides how to substitute players during the game...
or manager. His opportunity came in 1951, when he became the manager of the South Bend Blue Sox
South Bend Blue Sox
The South Bend Blue Sox were a women's professional baseball team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
, his wife's team. Winsch enjoyed a distinguished career in the last four years of the circuit, leading South Bend to consecutive championship titles in 1951 and 1952 and a playoff berth in 1954.
1950s
With Winsch at the helm, the Blue Sox started strong in 1951, finishing third in the first half (38-22) before improving to first place (38-14) in the second half of the season. In the first round of the playoffs, South Bend beat the Fort Wayne DaisiesFort Wayne Daisies
The Fort Wayne Daisies were a women's professional baseball team that played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League...
in three games and later defeated the Rockford Peaches
Rockford Peaches
The Rockford Peaches were a team in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League playing out of Rockford, Illinois for the entire existence of the league from 1943 to 1954....
in the final series, three to two games, with Faut taking two of the victories against Racine.
In 1952 South Bend advanced to the playoffs for the second consecutive year, after finishing with the second best record (64-45) behind the Daisies (67-42). The Blue Sox dispossed of Fort Wayne in the first round (2 to 1) and clinched the title over the Peaches (3 to 2). Once more Faut was brilliant in the final series, going 2-1 and hitting a .300 batting average
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...
(6-for-20) with three runs batted in.
Unfortunately for Winsch and his wife, most girls in the league were unmarried, making Faut odd-woman-out on her team. After becoming manager of the Blue Sox, it made the situation even stickier and increased his wife's isolation from the rest of the team. Everything came to a head after winning his second championship title, when he became more demanding of his players. In 1953, some of the South Bend players bristled under his leadership, many refusing to speak to either the manager or their star pitcher. When toward the end of the season, Winsch disciplined one of the girls by suspending her for not going in to pinch-run quickly when asked. Five other players walked out in protest, leaving Winsch's team short-handed for the rest of the year. South Bend would finish the season second from last (45-65). Nevertheless, Faut posted a 17-11 record, tying for first in the AAGPBL in wins and for the third consecutive season led all pitchers with her 1.51 earned run average
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...
, being the only Blue Sox pitcher to have a winning record. She retired at the end of the season.
In 1954 Winsch guided the Blue Sox to a second place (48-44), during what turned out to be the league's final season. South Bend lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual champion Kalamazoo Lassies
Kalamazoo Lassies
The Kalamazoo Lassies were a team who played from through in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. The team represented Kalamazoo, Michigan. Home games were initially played at Lindstrom Field, but later games were played at the Catholic Athletic Association Field, now the...
, two to one games. He also managed the All-Star Team in that season.
In a four-year managing career, Winsch collected a record of 232 wins and 187 losses (.554 W-L%
Winning percentage
In sports, a winning percentage is the fraction of games or matches a team or individual has won. It is defined as wins divided by wins plus losses . Ties count as a ½ loss and a ½ win...
) during the regular season and went 11-7 (.611) in the postseason.
Winsch is part of the AAGPBL permanent display at the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown, New York
Cooperstown is a village in Otsego County, New York, USA. It is located in the Town of Otsego. The population was estimated to be 1,852 at the 2010 census.The Village of Cooperstown is the county seat of Otsego County, New York...
, opened in , which is dedicated to the entire league rather than any individual player. The AAGPBL folded in 1954, yet it was not really a well known fact until the 1992 film A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
, directed by Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall
Penny Marshall is an American actress, producer and director.After playing several small roles for television, she was cast as Laverne DeFazio in the sitcom Laverne and Shirley...
, which brought many of the real AAGPBL players began to earn a rebirth of celebrity with the first season of the circuit.